Why Small Businesses Are Turning to Virtual Assistants to Combat Rising Costs in 2025
Why Small Businesses Are Turning to Virtual Assistants to Combat Rising Costs in 2025
Running a small business has never been more challenging. Rising salaries, pension contributions and National Insurance have all made employing people more expensive — without adding much flexibility in return. Small businesses with tight margins simply can’t absorb these additional costs and responsibilities without putting their future at risk.
So it's no surprise that many are turning to a smarter solution: Virtual Assistants (VAs).
Rising Costs Are Squeezing Small Businesses
Let's break it down. The National Living Wage (NLW) jumped to £12.21 per hour in 2025, and Employer National Insurance (NIC) is now 15% on salaries above £5,000. That means employing even a part-time person can easily cost you nearly £18,000 a year, once you account for salaries, pension, holiday pay, sick pay, training, equipment, and recruitment.
For a small business trying to stay profitable in tough conditions, that's a huge amount — particularly when you may not need someone all day, every day.
Why Small Businesses Are Turning to Virtual Assistants
This is where Virtual Assistants come into their own. Instead of tying yourself into employment contracts and permanent salaries, you pay for the hours you need — and that's it.
✅ Scalable: If you need more help during a busy period, you can scale up. If things slow down, you scale back.
✅ Cost-Effective: You avoid pension, holiday, sick pay, and NICs — all of which add up quickly with a permanent hire.
✅ Specialist Support: VAs come with specialized skills — from social media and customer service to invoicing and proposal writing — without you needing to recruit and train.
✅ Controlled: Your outsourcing is flexible, with clear pricing and no hidden employment liabilities.
A Small Business Success Story
Let's take Sarah’s Marketing Consultancy in Manchester.
Sarah tried employing a part-time administrative assistant in 2024, thinking it would ease her workload. But after adding salaries, NICs, holiday pay, sick pay and training, it was costing nearly £1,500 a month — for someone who wasn't always busy and often needing supervision.
So in 2025, Sarah switched to a 20-hour Virtual Assistant package with Admin and More for just £550/mo.
This meant:
✅ She only paid for actual hours of productive support.
✅ She avoided all employment liabilities and additional benefits.
✅ She received help from a skilled VA who already knew her way around invoicing, calendar management, and proposal writing.
The result?
Sarah's administrative tasks were kept up to date, her clients were supported promptly, and her profits improved immediately — without adding permanent cost to her business.
Why Small Businesses Need Agility Now More Than Ever
Today’s economic climate is tough and unpredictable. Small businesses need the ability to respond quickly to changing conditions.
A VA lets you do just that — adding or reducing hours, swapping responsibilities, and dialing back during quieter periods — all without redundancy, redundancy payments, or messy employment disputes.
Why Admin and More VAs Are the Right Partners
Here at Admin and More, we specialize in providing flexible, tailored support to small businesses across the UK.
We match you with a UK-based VA who fits your needs — whether that's:
✅ Invoice and expense management
✅ Calendar and meeting coordination
✅ Customer service follow-up
✅ Access to Work paperwork
✅ Report and proposal preparation
✅ Research, social media scheduling, and much more
Your VA becomes a key part of your team — without adding employment responsibilities — freeing you up to focus on growing your business.
Final Thoughts
Running a small business in 2025 is challenging, but you’re not powerless.
Switching from employing to outsourcing lets you cut back on needless expenses, increase flexibility, and respond quickly to changing conditions — all while retaining the high-calibre support you need.
With a Virtual Assistant by your side, you can stay lean, adaptable, and competitive in a tough market.
